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2
votes
0answers
33 views

What is the correct capitalization of code examples when beginning a sentence? [duplicate]

I am writing a technical book and a lot of it is structured as explanations of code examples. For instance: var links = data.map(function (d) { return {source: nick_id(d.from), ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views

Is it ok if I start an opinion composition with the word 'Indeed'?

I was just wondering, is it's OK to begin an opinion composition with the word 'Indeed' in the first sentence? For example: Indeed I believe people's consumerism is one of the main causes for our ...
1
vote
1answer
135 views

Is it correct to start a sentence with “with” in English?

Is it correct to use with at the beginning of a sentence? Here's an example sentence: With the development of the economy, living standards improved. To my eyes this looks unnatural; I would ...
1
vote
2answers
122 views

Can I start a text with “While”?

I know it’s OK to start sentences with While, but is it OK to start a text with it? For example: While electron-electron correlations and interactions are crucial in the descriptions of atoms and ...
1
vote
1answer
231 views

“Yet” at the beginning of a sentence

Can one use "Yet" at the beginning of a sentence as follows? Yet, he came late. Is this grammatical?
1
vote
1answer
60 views

Is it correct to start a sentence with “Ad question one…”?

I'm pretty sure I've read "Ad question one..." in the sense of "Addressing question one..." before, but the only usage on the web I find is by someone with a Hispanic name and m-w.com doesn't seem to ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views

Can I start a sentence with “Whereas”?

The sentence is supposed to be contradicting a previous situation explained thoroughly in the precedent paragraph. The contradiction is on the same subject (in the past/now). Can the sentence be ...
1
vote
1answer
118 views

Acceptability of the phrase “While yet others” in formal English

Is it acceptable to use the phrase "While yet others" at the start of a sentence in formal English? Are there any alternative phrases that I could use? To put this into context, I wish to write ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views

Use of a comma after “during” at the beginning of a sentence [closed]

What is the rule regarding the use of a comma when the word "during" appears at the beginning of a sentence? During church the child whimpered incessantly. During church, the child ...
-1
votes
2answers
498 views

Upper or lowercase letter if name at the start of the sentence? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How do you capitalize a proper noun such as “iPhone”? Capitalization of names that begin lowercased, at the beginning of a sentence I have a product that is called ...
-4
votes
3answers
766 views

If you're starting a sentence with “and” or another conjunction, must you follow the conjunction with a comma?

When I was a kid, I was always told that starting a sentence off with "and" was improper. However, now it seems as if the consensus amongst members of the English cartel is that it is totally ...
-1
votes
1answer
229 views

Can a sentence start with “ due to”

I think a sentence cannot start with due to. But if i need to say due to this thing something is happening how can I say it? How can I write the following sentence correctly? Due to the changes ...
0
votes
2answers
210 views

Word order with “just” and “only” meaning “merely”

Marking a German student's test I have encountered the following problem: The relationship between the two adolescents is one-sided. Just the boy really feels something, the girl hates him. Can ...
-2
votes
2answers
709 views

Starting a sentence with “apparently” [closed]

Can one start a sentence with the word apparently? For example: Apparently he did not pay him back. I know that one should not start a sentence with because, but what are some words that one ...
1
vote
1answer
86 views

How to avoiding starting with “it is”? [closed]

I have a sentence fragment I must make into a sentence: Late August at the Los Angeles Zoo. I use this sentence to begin a story. I really do not want to use “it is” though, because “it is” ...
1
vote
1answer
446 views

“Upon” at the very beginning of a sentence

Can a sentence begin with upon? Or should it be changed to on? For example: Upon a decrease in temperature... [Is this grammatical?] On a decrease in temperature... [What about this?]
2
votes
2answers
831 views

How to avoid starting sentence with “And” and “But”? [closed]

A lot of times my sentences start with "And" and "But" and they tend to run long. I read a lot of news articles and blogs and have not seen many sentences starting with conjunctions, but I don't seem ...
1
vote
3answers
254 views

Is it grammatical to omit the subject from “I did my work”? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Is it acceptable to begin a declarative sentence with “Am”? Is it correct to start a sentence with did. Did my work. instead of I did my work. ...
0
votes
1answer
122 views

“Hope” versus “I hope” [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Why is there omission of subject in sentences like “Thought you'd never ask.” Is it correct to use hope without subject? I have seen may times something ...
2
votes
6answers
1k views

“Due to” at the beginning of a sentence

I tried to say this: Due to it will have less features than the actual standard system, the performance will be better. Basically, I used a sentence after due to, and one of my English friends ...
0
votes
2answers
469 views

Definite article in the beginning of a sentence

I'm confused with the usage of the definite article. During the development the following tasks were accomplished: Software with a graphical interface was created; [some other things] ...
1
vote
2answers
467 views

Beginning sentences with a needless “So”. How did this scourge become so popular? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: When did the word “so” begin to be used to start a sentence? Garbage/stuff words So many folks begin some narrative with "So". I see it everywhere ...
3
votes
3answers
629 views

“Already” at the beginning of a sentence

Is it considered good form to use the word already at the beginning of a sentence? For instance: Already in 1930, certain people were watching television in their homes. I have seen it used in ...
2
votes
2answers
3k views

Verb+ing as a verb beginning a sentence

Is this good English? Falling into the ocean, the drop dies as a drop, but not as water. Or should I say: When it falls into the ocean, the drop dies...
1
vote
2answers
2k views

Starting a sentence with 'About your question, …'

I have noticed myself often starting a sentence like this: About your drawing question, I don't think there is an easy way to draw these shapes. Is it formal to start a sentence that way (formal ...
3
votes
5answers
1k views

Is it acceptable to begin a declarative sentence with “Am”?

I want to know firstly if it's grammatically correct to start a declarative sentence with "Am". For example: Am excited about the game today. Secondly, if it is grammatically incorrect, then I ...
2
votes
1answer
261 views

Is the sentence “As though Bill Donohue didn’t have enough to be cranky about” self-complete?

I’m a regular reader of New York Times columnist, Maureen Dowd’s column, which provides me with lot of input of contemporary English expressions that I cannot learn from ordinary English text books ...
3
votes
3answers
483 views

Is it a good idea to begin a sentence with a number or a variable name?

Is it acceptable to have the following sentences in formal writing? 2.5 years have already been completed. or n shows the number of something.
3
votes
4answers
494 views

Starting a sentence with “Starting with”

When you want to summarize a list of items, can you use "Starting with" at the beginning of a sentence in order to explain the first item? For example, is the following grammatically correct? I ...
7
votes
7answers
4k views

Is it correct to start a sentence with 'also'?

Is it correct to start a sentence with 'also'? Also, I had given him the file you sent me.
0
votes
3answers
217 views

Does the conversational nature of email allow us to begin sentences with conjunctions? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Why is it incorrect to start a sentence with “and”? In grammar school, my English teachers taught me that I should never begin a sentence with a conjunction. ...
2
votes
2answers
708 views

Must conditional sentences begin with “if?”

I've been looking at conditional sentences (conditional clauses). Every example I've see is along the lines of, "if [x] then [y]." I've seen alternatives/substitutes for the if part: were I ...
7
votes
1answer
504 views

Is it okay to start a sentence with a Greek letter (variable)?

Is it okay to start a sentence with a variable? Do I need to rewrite a sentence just because the subject is typeset as a Greek letter? For example: Φ is treated in a special way. vs. ...
8
votes
3answers
7k views

Sentences beginning with “so”?

This also came up on either a BBC or CBC science program, but not as a linguistically-oriented discussion. Over the last two or three years I've noticed a lot more people starting a sentence with ...
2
votes
4answers
2k views

Can I start a sentence with “i.e.”?

While writing a rhetorical question I ran into a case where it seemed natural to start a sentence with "I.e": How do we handle the case when the list is empty? I.e., if the filter matched no ...
2
votes
2answers
651 views

Capitalising a sentence whose first word is explicitly lowercase [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Capitalization of names that begin lowercased, at the beginning of a sentence Let's say that you have a word that should be typed with leading lowercase letter. Perhaps ...
18
votes
3answers
5k views

When a sentence starts with “e.g.”, should the e be capitalized?

When a sentence starts with e.g., should the e be capitalized? Neverminding that it might be better to start with "For example," ... Thinking of SE posts and comments, should the starting e be ...
1
vote
1answer
550 views

Can I start a sentence with “because”, whether I am answering a question, or giving a sample of an idea? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Can a sentence start with “Because” I would like to know if the next sentence is right: "Because in this case, both are spelled the same way"
3
votes
3answers
4k views

Are “should” and “if” interchangeable at the beginning of a sentence? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: A special use of “should”? If "should" comes at the beginning of a sentence, and the sentence is not a question, then can it be replaced with "if?" Is there any ...
12
votes
7answers
13k views

Can “hence” be used at the beginning of a sentence?

Can the word ‘hence’ be used at the beginning of a sentence? For example: Hence, I am not feeling well, I am unable to work.
16
votes
4answers
874 views

Usage of “And” in the beginning of a sentence

Since I first learned English, I have been holding this understanding that "and", as a conj. but unlike "but", can only connect two clauses, not two sentences ended with periods. But recently, I ...
1
vote
1answer
959 views

Capitalization of names that begin lowercased, at the beginning of a sentence [duplicate]

Possible Duplicates: How Should Trademarks be Written? How do you capitalize a proper noun such as “iPhone”? Many products these days have names that intentionally begin with ...
2
votes
4answers
407 views

Capitalizing a lower case screen name at the beginning of a sentence

When starting a sentence with a lower case pseudonym, such as a screen name of a user account on a website, should it be capitalized? Or are there different cases where it would and would not be ...
8
votes
2answers
7k views

Can a sentence starting with “While, …” be grammatically correct?

I have a colleague who often writes sentences in the form "While, [these circumstances would make X seem unlikely to be the case], [these other circumstances show that X is in fact the case]. For ...
2
votes
1answer
526 views

“For how long have you been…” vs. “how long have you been…”

Ante-scriptum: The question should be quite a frequently arising one, so this might be a duplicate. If it is, I haven't found it previously asked here I don't know if the title is meaningful, but ...
20
votes
2answers
3k views

How do you capitalize a proper noun such as “iPhone”?

I was always taught to capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence, and also the first letter of proper nouns. In the last few years it's been common for certain firms to name their ...
8
votes
7answers
4k views

When did the word “so” begin to be used to start a sentence?

In the last few years, I've noticed a growing usage of the word "so" to begin a sentence, especially in the context of higher education. For example: Interviewer: "What is the nature of your ...
15
votes
8answers
5k views

Is it poor form to start too many sentences with I?

I often find myself writing a lot of comments to blog posts and responses on forums, and have noticed a tendency to start a lot of sentences with 'I'. 'I think...', 'I had no idea', 'I used to...' ...
6
votes
3answers
617 views

Is it proper to start a sentence with the word that ended the last sentence?

For example: Instead, you’ll use a higher-level model called ASP.NET AJAX. ASP.NET AJAX gives you a set of server-side components and controls that you can use when designing your web page. This ...
13
votes
3answers
2k views

Starting an independent statement with “I mean, …”

A friend was noting that his daughter would occasionally start sentences with the phrase "I mean, " simply for emphasis, not for clarification: Friend: How was the Miley Cyrus concert? ...

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